Languages, Literature and Culturality

The research area of Languages, Literature and Culturality encompasses three subareas: the Bernhard Karlgren Seminar Series, Pop Culture and Transculturality Studies. All three subareas focus on the interaction between languages, literature and culture, the linguistic and literary expressions that this interaction is manifested in as well as methodological and theoretical issues within comparative literature and linguistics but also in the humanities in general.

Bernhard Karlgren Seminar Series

The Bernhard Karlgren Seminar Series is ‘geographically’ grounded in China and Chinese traditions, but with a focus on methodological and theoretical issues within the humanities. The lecturers present their current work in the intersections between sinology and anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, literary theory, religious studies and translation theory. The profile area was named after Bernhard Karlgren (1889–1978), one of the most influential sinologists of the 20th century. He was a professor of East Asian languages at Gothenburg University College and also its rector 1931–36.

Pop Culture

The research conducted in the research area of Pop Culture focuses on various forms of pop culture (such as popular film, the internet, television, so-called 'genre fiction', music and advertising) that surround and affect us every day, but regarding which there is relatively limited critical reflection. We support interdisciplinary studies of pop culture in all its roles, meanings and manifestations and combine methods and theoretical approaches from a variety of scholarly disciplines such as linguistics, literary studies, cultural studies, 'critical literacy' and education.

Transculturality Studies

The research area of Transculturality Studies focuses on literary expressions and theories concerning cultural hybridity and cultural crossings of boundaries. The globalisation and contemporary migration lead to the alteration, renegotiation and transcendence of boundaries between cultures, at the same time as there are forces that with increasing intensity point to perceived differences between different groups of people. These processes and other issues related to transcultural phenomena are studied within the framework of this culture- and literature-oriented profile area, the activities in which include internal discussion meetings and guest lectures.